As the NFL trade deadline gets closer, the Denver Broncos could find themselves with an unlikely and attractive asset for other teams with third-string quarterback and former No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson.
The closer it gets to the Nov. 5 trade deadline, the more appealing Wilson might become to teams in desperate need of a reliable backup. It’s a stunning turn of events for a player many thought might not even make the Broncos’ 53-man roster.
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox has Wilson as the No. 5 trade target in the entire NFL headed into Week 4, with the NFC East’s New York Giants as a possible destination.
Through Denver’s first 3 games, Wilson has yet to be put on the active roster but has served as the team’s emergency third quarterback behind rookie starter Bo Nix and veteran Jarrett Stidham. The Giants have what is essentially a lame-duck starter at quarterback in former first-round pick Daniel Jones.
“Nix’s hold on the starting job should be a little more secure than it was a week ago, and Jarrett Stidham is Denver’s second option,” Knox wrote. “That means third-string QB Zach Wilson should be viewed as expendable if the right offer crosses the desk of general manager George Paton. Wilson should be viewed similarly to (Bryce) Young — a first-round pick who has more potential than proven production. He has more experience, though, and should carry a much lower asking price.”
Getting another team to bite on Wilson as trade bait could help the Broncos recoup what they gave up for him — their 2024 6th round pick — in a trade with the New York Jets in the offseason in which they got Wilson and a 7th round pick.
Paton has said Wilson will eventually be a starter again in the NFL.
“He has all the starting traits in the world. He’s still working through some things,” Paton said in late August, according to the Denver Gazette. “You could see the really good last week in the game (against the Cardinals). He can throw it as good as anyone in the league. … I do think he’ll be a starter in this league.”
The 2021 NFL draft has already gone down in history for the epic failures of the quarterbacks taken in the first round.
Of the 5 quarterbacks taken in the first round, only No. 1 overall pick and Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence remains with his team and signed one of the biggest contracts in NFL history when he signed a 5-year, $275 million contract extension in June 2024.
Wilson, the No. 2 pick, is with the Broncos. Trey Lance, the No. 3 pick by the San Francisco 49ers, is the third-string quarterback with the Dallas Cowboys.
Justin Fields, the No. 11 pick by the Chicago Bears, is now the starter for the Steelers. Mac Jones, the No. 15 pick by the New England Patriots, is now Lawrence’s backup on the Jaguars.
While Lawrence is the only quarterback still with his original team, his struggles in 2024 show a player who might be the next in line to go down as a bust — the Jaguars are off to an 0-3 start and Lawrence is 25th in the NFL in passing at just 186.6 yards per game.
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